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Ghost in the Shell - Scarlett Johansson and Motorcycles

The humble motorcycle takes a leading role in a highly-anticipated science-fiction movie, ‘Ghost in the Shell’ riding into theaters March 31st. Helping with the close up, Honda's NM4.

There’s word that Scarlett Johansson also stars in the movie, but this is a website dedicated to motorcycles, so let’s focus on what’s important.

The NM4 was first shown under the name "NM4 Vultus" as a concept motorcycle at the March, 2014 Osaka Motorcycle Show and Tokyo Motor Show. Riders can buy the futuristic looking motorcycle right now with the model using Honda’s revolutionary Automatic DCT transmission to shift through a 670cc fuel-injected engine. Enjoying the tag line of ‘the near future where fantasy is reality’, it’s not surprising this motorcycle would be used as inspiration for the bike ridden by the movie’s cyber-enhanced heroine.

The ideal fit between the concept and styling of the NM4 as well as the worldwide release exposure of the film excited Honda. The motorcycle in the film was based on design sketches provided by Honda, finessed by the film production team, and included to make the movie’s futuristic world seem more realistic. ‘Ghost in the Shell’ depicts a future where humans have merged with technology, so much so that they can upload their consciousness into the digital world as well as into new, man-made bodies. The original manga and animated versions served as inspiration for the later Matrix trilogy.

Based on the internationally acclaimed Japanese manga, ‘Ghost in the Shell’ is set in the near future and stars Scarlett Johansson as Major, the first of her kind, a human saved from a terrible crash, who is cyber-enhanced to be a perfect soldier devoted to stopping the world’s most dangerous criminals. Taking the role of a police officer, Motoko Kusanagi, Johansson is seen several times on the futuristic ride and is featured in the trailer at the 1:26 mark.

This isn’t the first time Scarlett Johansson has found herself riding across the screen, she had the opportunity to ride Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire electric motorcycle in ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’. Playing the Russian spy turned superhero, Johansson’s character Black Widow drops out of the bottom of a super high-tech jet riding a Harley-Davidson LiveWire and the heroics begin.

Ironically, Scarlett Johansson isn’t much of a biker in real life. But this small fact doesn’t seem to stop the actress looking good in the saddle.

‘Ghost in the Shell’ is produced by Avi Arad, Ari Arad, Steven Paul, and Michael Costigan. Tetsu Fujimura, Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, Jeffrey Silver and Yoshinobu Noma are the executive producers. The film is directed by Rupert Sanders. It will be released in U.S. and in more than 50 countries and territories around the world on March 31st.